ASTM
International: Organizaiton responsible for setting
criteria for the quality of structural materials. Formerly known as the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
building Codes: Laws and standards specifying requirements for
building construction.
Construction
Specifications Institute (CSI): Organization
of professionals responsible for the development of standards for specification
writing and data identification in the construction industry
Divisions: Major construction categories identified
within the MasterFormat® specification
writing standard
MasterFormat®: A
standard identification system for organizing content documenting
requirements, products, and activities
used on the construction industry.
Specifications:
The
written directions issued by architects or engineers to establish general
conditions, standards, and detailed instructions to be used on a project.
Unit 7 Terms
admixture: Material added to concrete or
mortar to alter it in some way
adobe brick: Building units made from natural
sun-dried clays or earth and a binder.
aggregates: Sand, gravel, rock, or other
material used along with cement and water to make concrete.
angles: With regard to structural steel, an
L-shaped member with two perpendicular legs. Common leg lengths are 2” - 7”,
with common thicknesses of 1/8” – 5/8”.
ashlar: A stone cut by sawing to a
rectangular shape.
bent glass: Glass building material produced
by heating annealed glass to the point where it softens so it can be pressed
over a form.
bond: The holding or gripping force
between reinforcing steel and concrete. Also, the pattern in which masonry units
are laid.
bond beams: A reinforced concrete beam running
around a masonry wall to provide added strength. Vertical bond beans are formed
by inserting reinforcing bar in a cell after the wall is laid and filling with
grout.
brick masonry: Construction method that uses
units (bricks) that are manufactured, rather than removed from quarries.
building brick: The most commonly used type
of brick, specified for applications where appearance is not important.
Normally called “common brick.”
cement: The material used in
concrete to bind the aggregate together.
ceramic tiles: Floor or wall covering
units made from nonmetallic minerals, fired at very high temperature
concrete: Structural material comprising
water, gravel, sand, and cement.
concrete brick: Solid or cored units molded
from a mixture of Portland cement and aggregates and hardened chemically.
concrete
masonry unit (CMU): A
masonry unit made of concrete measuring 8” X 8” X 16” long (including mortar
joint).
cut stones: Stones that are cut ot
size and finished at a mill prior to being used for construction.
face brick: A select brick made of clays
and chemicals to produce a desired color and effect for use in the face of a
wall.
Ferrous metals:
Metals that contain iron
as a principal element and typically have magnetic properties.
Firebrick: A refractory ceramic brick
made to resist high temperatures.
Fired-clay
tile: A tile used
primarily for floor coverings. It is produced from clays and is fired in a kiln
to harden the surface.
Flexible
insulation: Insulating
material made of mineral or vegetable fiber and available in blanket and batt
form.
Float glass: The most common type of
glass, produced by floating a continuous ribbon of molten glass on a bath of
molten tin.
Gage system: Classification method used for
metal materials less than ¼” in thickness (often called “sheet metal”).
Glass: Translucent ceramic
material used in building construction
Glass block: Hollow building units
made by fusing two sections of glass together.
Glazed brick: Brick finished with a
hard, smooth coating, and used for decorative and special service applications.
Gravel: Rock aggregate material
ranging in diameter from ¼” to several inches.
Green building: a building technology utilizing design
strategies and construction methods to build structures that make efficient use of
natural resources and energy. Also known as sustainable design.
Grout: A cementitious mixture
of high water content, prepared to pour easily into spaces in a masonry wall.
Made from Portland cement, lime, and aggregate, it is used to secure anchor
bolts and vertical reinforcing rods in masonry walls.
Header course: A course of brick laid flat so
their long dimension is across the thickness of the wall, and the heads of the
course of bricks show on the face of the wall.
Hydration: A chemical reaction between
cement and water that results in the hardening of concrete.
Insulating
glass: A window or door glass consisting of two sheets of
glass separated by a sealed air space to reduce heat transfer.
Kiln-burned
brick: Building
units made from natural clays or shales (sometimes with other materials added,
such as coloring) and molded to shape, dried, and fired for hardness.
Laminating: A method of construction by
bonding layers of material with an adhesive, such as plastic laminate or a
glue-laminated wood beam.
Lintels: Support member for a
masonry opening, usually made of precast concrete or steel.
Loose-fill
insulation: Insulation
made from particles of material such as rock wool, wood, fibers, cork, wood
pulp products, or vermiculite. It is poured, blown, or packed in place by hand.
Lumber: Wood that has been cut
to specific dimensions for structural use.
Mortar: Cementitious
substance used as a binding agent for masonry units.
Mosaic tiles: Small tile, typically
1” square,
that can be laid to form a design or pattern.
Nonferrous
metals: Metals containing
little or no iron.
Open-web steel
joists: A
truss type joist with top and botton chords and a web formed of diagonal
members. Some manufacturers make a joist
with chords of wood and a steel web and refer to it as a truss joist.
Patterned glass:
Sheet glass with a pattern rolled into one or both sides to diffuse the light and provide privacy.
Paving brick: Hard-surfaced brick used in driveways
or areas where abrasion is a concern.
Pervious
concrete: Highly
porous concrete that allows water to pass through it.
Plate glass: Sheet glass that
has been heat-treated during forming, producing a brilliant surface that is
ground and polished when cooled.
Plywood: A composite lumber
material consisting of layers of wood glued together with their grains oriented
perpendicular.
Quarry tile: A floor covering
material produced from clays that provide a wear-resistant surface.
Reflective
insulation: Insulation
made from materials such as aluminum foil, sheet metal with tin coating, and
paper products coated with a reflective oxide composition.
Reinforcing
bars: Steel
bars placed within forms and surrounded by concrete. The surface of reinforcing
bars is normally deformed to improve the bond between the bar and the concrete.
Rigid
insulation: A
lightweight, low-density product with good heat and acoustical insulating
qualities. It is available in large sheets.
Rough-sawn
lumber: Wood
that has been cut to size but not dressed or surfaced.
Rubble: A type of stone
masonry unit taken directly from the quarry, without smoothing or finishing.
R-Value: A numeric classification
for insulating value (resistance to heat transfer).
Safety glass: Glass that has been treated to resist
breakage, or to break into less hazardous pieces.
Sand-lime brick: Building units molded from a
mixture of sand and lime and hardened under steam pressure and heat.l
Sheet glass: Glass commonly used
for windows in thicknesses of 3/32” or 1/8”.
Single-wythe
walls: A
masonry wall composed of one row of bricks.
Stained glass:
Colored glass
produced by adding metallic oxides in the molten state. This glass can be used
for windows and decorative pieces. Sometimes called art
or cathedral glass.
Stone masonry: Construction method using
granite, limestone, marble, sandstone, or slate as a building material. Today,
stone masonry is usually decorative, rather than structural.
Stretcher: A brick laid in a flat
position, lengthwise with the wall.
Structural clay
tile: Building
units made of materials similar to brick, but in larger sizes.
Structural
steel: General name
for several types of mild steel normally used in construction.
Surfaced lumber: Wood that has been dressed or
finished to size by running through a planer.
Sustainability: The ability of a structure
to maintain operational efficiency and have minimal impact on the environment
throughout its lifetime.
Sustainable
design: A building technology
utilizing design strategies and construction methods to build structures that
make efficient use of natural resources and energy.
AKA: Green Building
Terra cotta: A type of clay tile used for its
attractiveness. Literally—burnt earth.
Thermal
insulation: Material
designed to reduce heat transmission through walls, ceilings, and floors.
Welded wire
fabric (WWF): Wire
mesh fabricated by means of welding the crossing of joints of steel wires.
Normally used to reinforce concrete slabs.
